I feel quite certain that at one time or another, any of you reading this have encountered the “Who would you choose?” question. You are told that you could save the life of only one of two people close to you, and asked which one you would save. (And more often than not, the question is asked when both of the choices are present.)

I have a variation on this question, which I would like to present for your possible entertainment and/or amusement.

You find yourself in an unfamiliar room, and a total stranger enters. He tells you that you will be presented with a choice. One of two people is going to die. You do not know either of them. You do not know anything about either of them, other than what the stranger is about to tell you. Once the stranger finishes presenting the information, you will have 30 seconds to make your decision.

Since you have no way of determining otherwise, assume that what the stranger tells you is the truth.

The stranger tells you that the two individuals are both government employees, who have misused and abused their positions in unspecified ways.

One works for the TSA as an airport security screener.

One is an agent for the IRS.

As perhaps a twisted show of humor, the stranger then begins playing the Final Jeopardy! music.